With the T20 World Cup having ended it’s a good time to review the performances of Australia's squad through the tournament.
Beth Mooney – 5/5
There’s something about Beth Mooney and tournament finals, isn’t it? She was unbeaten in the finals of the Women’s Big Bash League this season, before being unconquered in the T20I tri-series final that preceded the T20 World Cup. Even on Sunday (March 8), Mooney hit an unbeaten 78 to finish atop the run-scoring charts. She was the player of the tournament, hitting three half centuries in six innings. Consistency, personified!
Most runs scored in a WT20 World Cup tournament 259 - BETH MOONEY 2020 257 - Meg Lanning 2014 246 - Stafanie Taylor 2016 236 - Alyssa Healy 2020 228 - Suzie Bates 2014 225 - Alyssa Healy 2018
Megan Schutt had picked up ten wickets in the T20 World Cup in 2018, joint-most alongside Deandra Dottin and Ashleigh Gardner. This time around, she went one step further, taking 13 wickets to not only top the bowling charts, but also claim the most wickets ever in a single tournament. Her two wickets in the semi-final against South Africa ensured Australia made it to the final, before she took four wickets in the title-clash against India. Full marks to her for her for nipping the Shafali Verma threat in the bud in the final.
Meg Lanning – 4.5 /5
She is not even 28-years-old, but Meg Lanning has already won three T20 World Cup titles for Australia and that’s just incredible. Her numbers in the knockout stages of world tournaments are awe-inspiring – 475 runs in 13 innings at an average of 47.50 and a strike rate of 115.57. Her unbeaten 49 against the odds in the semi-final was testament to the aforementioned numbers. The way she led her side in the competition after a loss against India in the opening encounter speaks volumes about her as a player and as a leader.
Alyssa Healy was going through a lean patch coming into the T20 World Cup. After her unbeaten 148 in 2019, she had failed to register double digit scores in five successive innings. But she came roaring back into form and was, in a way, instrumental in Australia’s run that culminated in them winning the title for the fifth time. Three half centuries in the competition, with a best of 83 in a record opening stand against Bangladesh, helped her become the second-highest run-getter. And not to forget, her player of the match effort – she scored 75 in just 39 balls – in the final that pulverised the Indian bowlers.
Healy also effected seven dismissals – three catches and four stumpings – including a terrific take behind the stumps to dismiss Shafali early in the final. But she was found wanting against Udeshika Prabodhani’s in-swing, which got her out for a duck.
Rachael Haynes – 3.5/5
Rachael Haynes earned most of her points only because of the responsible knock she played against Sri Lanka to bail Australia out. Chasing 123 for a win, the hosts were tottering at 10 for 3 when the vice-captain walked in. But she kept her calm and hit a 60, steering the side to a win.
Georgia Wareham – 3.5/5
Georgia Wareham played her first match this T20 World Cup against Bangladesh. She was wicketless then. In Australia’s must-win clash, New Zealand were in the front when Wareham was brought in. She quickly got into the act, seeing the back of Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine and Maddy Green to decisively turn the match in Australia’s favour. In the semis as well as the finals, though, she was in the side but didn’t get a bowl.
Jess Jonassen – 3/5
Ten wickets in the tournament including 3-20 in the final, Jess Jonassen finished joint-second in the wicket-takers’ charts. In the semis, she dismissed Chloe Tryon in the final over to deny South Africa, while in the final, her regular strikes pegged India back. But Jonassen’s ‘allround’ skills were absent as she failed on both the occasions when she got a chance with the bat.
Delissa Kimmince – 3/5
Jemimah Rodrigues, Mignon du Preez and Veda Krishnamurthy – these were Delissa Kimmince’s three wickets in the T20 World Cup. She was one of the more economical Australian bowlers in the competition, though she was taken to the cleaners in the over she bowled against Sri Lanka.
Sophie Molineux – 3/5
There was an injury cloud over Sophie Molineux throughout the tournament. Her first match in the competition was the semis against the Proteas. She came in first change and gave the first break for Australia, getting rid of Lizelle Lee. In the final as well, she got the big scalp of Smriti Mandhana.
Ellyse Perry didn’t really set the tournament on fire. She had a first-ball duck in the opening match and then went wicketless in the outing against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Versus New Zealand, Perry played a good hand of 21 runs, then bowled a couple of overs before limping off with a hamstring injury. But that she was retained in the squad despite being ruled out talks about the aura and leadership qualities the allrounder has.
Annabel Sutherland – 3/5
The teenager grabbed headlines when she made it to Australia’s squad for the World Cup. She played only three games, but bowled only against Bangladesh, returning with a wicket. She was particularly sharp in the field, displaying her athleticism on several occasions. The experience she gained in the competition would stand her in good stead.
Nicola Carey – 2.5/5
Nicola Carey didn’t play the clash against India but in every game since that, the batting allrounder was a part of the side. Sadly for her, she couldn’t go beyond single-digit scores in all four innings. But with four wickets in her kitty, she was Australia’s third-most successful bowler.
Ashleigh Gardner was thought to be one of Australia's real trump cards - with incredible power and the ability to hit in different areas. She displayed that ability in the preceding tri-series. But she failed to set the stage on fire on the big stage and scored only 80 runs in the competition. With the ball as well, she was taken to the cleaners by the Kiwis, returning with 0/26 in two overs.
Molly Strano – 2/5
Much was made about Molly Strano’s battle against Shafali Verma, when the former was drafted into the side as Tayla Vlaeminck’s replacement. But she was taken for 13 in her second over and didn’t bowl in the game. Against Sri Lanka she picked a couple of wickets and gave away 23 runs. But she wasn’t a first-choice spinner for the hosts and it showed, as she played just the two matches.
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